I read recently a mother dedected an eye problem (maybe cataract

Customer Question

I read recently a mother dedected an eye problem (maybe cataract ?) in her young child when anti red eye digital photography showed the eye concerned to be white not black after anti red eye enhancement ...having seen such a situation in my 15 month old daughters eyes Im now concerned ( although it is not apparant in every photograph of her with anti red eye )..I assume the strange look is to do with angles...

Have you heard about such a detection of a problem and can I email you the photo for your definate opinion ?

can i send you the photo that Im refering to..her eyes look normal..my concern is due to an article i read about a cataract (i think) being discovered by anti red eye digital photo technology..if you are familiar with this story ?

Dr. A.S. Desai :

Any apparent squint in the eyes? Any change in the appearance between the two eyes?

JACUSTOMER-8thxsl2b- :

no it is a white/clear glow on application of anti red eye technology in one eye , whilste the other eye goes dark/black as its supposed to

JACUSTOMER-8thxsl2b- :

no no squint, both eyes look the same under normal day/night light...it is ONLY with the anti red eye technology..

JACUSTOMER-8thxsl2b- :

but ARE you familiar with the case Im refering to ?

Dr. A.S. Desai :

I see.

Dr. A.S. Desai :

Not read about the particular case you are referring to .

Dr. A.S. Desai :

But yes, technology is advanced enough to help us detect problems at a very early stage.

Dr. A.S. Desai :

In our medical terms we call such a white looking pupil as leucoria.

JACUSTOMER-8thxsl2b- :

ok..maybe you can refer this question to a Dr that is familiar with the anti red eye photography case that Im refering to

Dr. A.S. Desai :

I'll need to opt out so that another expert can join in.

JACUSTOMER-8thxsl2b- :

thankyou..can i send the photo as an attachment to the next Dr ?

Dr. A.S. Desai :

But I would not be more concerned about the result of anti-red eye technology if it were to be my child becasue any leucoria would need a detailed eye exam especially a dilated eye exam . The causes of it can vary from cataract to PHPV, retinoblastoma and many more. In the slightest of doubt do visit an ophthalmologist.

Essentially, what this is referring to is out-thinking modern day digital cameras that use anti-red reflex technology to diagnose problems such as cataracts or retinoblastoma. The key is to turn off the anti-red eye feature of the camera and then take the photo of the child, taking advantage of the natural red reflex of the eyes. When this is done and there is something preventing the natural red reflex from the retina from reflecting back at the camera (such as a congenital cataract.or retinoblastoma = cancer of the eye), then this can be seen much more readily.

Is this what you were referring to? I'd be happy to answer any more questions about this if you have them.

Does this information help address your concerns? Does this make sense? Do you have any other concerns that I haven't addressed?

I am happy to be able to help you today. I will also be happy to answer any other questions until you have the information you need.

If you would be so kind, please help me get credit for my efforts in answering your questions and press the ACCEPT button for this encounter; this allows part of the funds that you have deposited to the website to be released for my efforts to assist you. This does notend our conversation, however-we can continue to discuss any of your concerns without further charges until you are satisfied.

Any positive feedback and/or bonus you may feel prompted to provide would be welcomed and is appreciated. Thanks for your inquiry!

My opinion is solely informative and does not constitute a formal medical opinion or recommendation. For a formal medical opinion and/or recommendation you must see an eye doctor.

No, you haven't already paid the previous doctor. All you have done is to make a deposit which will not be paid to her, me, or anyone else until you are satisfied with your encounter and you hit the accept button. Does that make sense?

OK, thanks...can I email you the photo of my daughter that worried me.?.but I stress it was after anti red eye technology was used that one eye went milky white and one eye black..prior to that both her eyes were red ..what I want to know is why one eye went balck and one white after anti red eye technology was used...and I will accept your answer anyway for sending me the press cutting

I'd be happy to take a look at that photo. You can actually just cut and paste it into your next comment to me as we are unable to communicate on email to each other (the website forbids it). I will look over the photo very carefully and tell you everything that I see. I will wait here for you to post it.

Thank you for that photo. I can certainly understand your angst. Please allow me to tell you my experiences after seeing dozens and dozens of children in my office because the parent has noted an abnormal white reflex in the pupil of their child's eye. Whether there is the use of anti-red eye technology or not, I have seen many photographs of children with one white pupil and the other one normal. In nearly every circumstance, the child's eye is perfectly normal on careful examination and the white reflex is caused just by the angle that the flash is coming from relative to the pupil opening. That can be reassuring in some respects, but it's not an absolute guarantee as an exam by a qualified ophthalmologist would be. Nobody would want their child to be the exception. And the exception could mean a cataract, retinal exudative disorders or at worst, retinoblastoma, a universally fatal cancer of the eye if left untreated.

In light of this, after careful examination of your child's photo, it does appear distinctly different from any photos with pupil reflexes caused by any of the afore-mentioned phenomena that I have seen before. It appears unusual because there is a less-intense grayish/white center of the reflex with a more reflective or color-intense white ring around the periphery of the reflex, just inside the pupillary margin. Almost universally, the white reflex that results from one of the afore-mentioned problems is more homogeneous and/or discrete. So in that respect, it makes me worry about one of these problems less.

However, in summary, I do not think that this difference between how your child's pupil reflex looks and those that I have seen before with retinoblastoma, is enough to justify forgetting about this problem. I would, therefore, recommend that you seek out an examination from a qualified ophthalmologist as soon as possible. If you are absolutely unable to find an ophthalmologist, then an optometrist may suffice, and if that is not available, then I would go to his pediatrician.

Does that make sense? What other questions do you have based on what I've just told you?

That photo from January 1st is reassuring as you can see an equally strong red reflex coming through each pupil. That makes my concern much, much less, as I would not expect anything significant to have changed with regard to her red reflex in one month. But just for good measure, go ahead and send me pictures tomorrow both with and without the anti-red eye technology on. Thanks for sending the pictures; they've been a big help.

You can just continue to post to this thread as you have been doing now. You should be receiving emails that alert you to each of my posts in this thread and you also likely respond that way. If all else fails, just repost a question with my name in the question and the other experts won't respond, but I will. You wouldn't have to pay anything for that if it was the only way to get back in touch with me. The fee you've paid for this question is sufficient. Make sense?

Im English actually..my wife is Swiss...Depends if you like to ski or not ! But Summer/Autumn is probably the best time..actually I run a small guest house/Lodge in the mountains www.snowmotions.com you'd be more than welcome to stay & at reduced rates with thanks for your detailed information .til 2mrw. Jason

Hello Dr.Dan, I hope you received the photo I took today of our daughter without anti redeye..looks normal to me but would be interested to hear your comments..here is a photo with anti redeye technology

Thanks yes that does make sense...we are taking her in for an apointment with an eye doctor 11am weds as you suggest..I just hope he understands English as my Italian, Swiss German isnt up to translating the technical jargon...main thing is I ask for a dilated eye examination !!

Just to let you know that we saw an eye specialist on Weds and he was pleased that you recommended that we bring our daughter in..as it happens, fortunately after the dilated pupil examination all seems fine but we are to go in for another check up in 6 months time..will also let you know the outcome of that one..must have been just the angle on anti red eye technlogy.

I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.

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